James Beard's New Fish Cookery - James Beard [126]
SAUTÉED CRAB WITH ALMONDS
7 tablespoons butter
1 pound crabmeat
2/3 cup almonds, blanched and split in half
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the crabmeat, and toss lightly until it is delicately browned. While this is cooking, sauté the almonds in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over a rather brisk flame until they brown lightly. Salt and pepper to taste and add to the crabmeat. Finally add the cream and parsley, increase the heat, and let it cook up and boil for 2 minutes. Serve on rice or rounds of fried toast.
VARIATIONS
1. Add 3 tablespoons sherry just before serving.
2. Omit the almonds and add 3 tablespoons chives or finely chopped green onion. Cook these with the crab and then add 3 tablespoons tomato sauce or chili sauce to the pan before adding the cream.
3. Add 1/2 cup cream and 1 tablespoon curry powder to the crabmeat and serve on rice with crisp French-fried onions.
4. Combine the crab with 1/2 pound mushrooms that have been sautéed in 6 tablespoons butter and flavored with lemon juice. Add 1/3 cup cream and let it cook down for 3 or 4 minutes.
5. This variation is called Crabmeat Marseillaise. To the sautéed crabmeat add an equal amount of mussels that have been opened (see mussels, page 416) and removed from their shells. Add 1 cup of heavy cream and let it cook down slightly.
POLLY HAMBLET’S DEVILED CRAB (DEVILED CRAB I)
This is the recipe for the deviled crab that I ate as a child. It was the first one I ever tasted and has been my favorite ever since. Originally I had it made with Dungeness crab, but many times since I have had it made with blue crabs and even with king crab. It never fails to please me.
1 pound crabmeat
11/2 cups rolled cracker crumbs
3/4 cup finely diced celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Few grains cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
Combine the crabmeat with the crumbs, celery, and onion and moisten with the butter and milk. Season with the mustard, salt, cayenne, parsley, and green pepper. Mix thoroughly, pile into shells or a casserole, and bake in a 350° oven for about 1/2 hour.
DEVILED CRAB II
The average deviled crab in New York is made with a cream sauce base. It has other seasonings, but the creaminess is the dominant quality.
1 pound crabmeat
2 cups sauce velouté (page 21)
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Few grains cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
Buttered crumbs
Combine the crabmeat, the sauce, egg yolks, and the flavorings. Heap into individual shells or ramekins or a large baking dish. Dust with buttered crumbs and brown quickly in a 425° oven.
VARIATIONS
1. Add 3 tablespoons sherry to the mixture before putting it in the shells.
2. Add 2 tablespoons grated onion to the sauce before adding the crabmeat.
DEVILED CRAB III
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco
6 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 pound crabmeat
Salt
Buttered crumbs
Combine the wine and the seasonings and heat thoroughly for 3 or 4 minutes. Cook the onion and green pepper in the butter for 2 minutes. Add the parsley and combine with the sauce and the crabmeat. Salt to taste, pile into shells, top with buttered crumbs, and dot with butter. Bake at 425° just long enough to brown.
CRABMEAT IN CREAM
Add 1 pound of crabmeat to 1 cup of béchamel (page 23) or sauce velouté (page 21). Serve on toast, in patty shells, or in croustades.
VARIATIONS
1. Add 1/4 cup sherry